Slicing machines in the bakery industry generally comprise a pair of cylindrical drums which are spaced apart and drive a plurality of band blades extending therebetween. Typically the band blades are crossed between the drums, the blades appearing to have a figure "8" configuration when viewed from the side. The bread loaves are guided through the machine intermediate the drums and pass through the band blades in the zone where the blades are crossed. Each band blade passes through the bread twice, simultaneously, and in opposite directions.
The slicing machines typically have a multitude of guide fingers mounted between the drums and on each side of the blade crossover area. The purpose of the guide fingers is to twist each band blade such that the oppositely moving portions of the blade are parallel to each other and, in the usual case, are normal to the bread loaves while passing therethrough, whereby bread slices are produced of controlled thickness and with parallel surfaces. Twisting of the band blades is effected by certain surfaces of the guide fingers exerting pressure upon the band blades as the blades pass through the guide fingers.
Movement of the band blades against the guide finger surfaces causes both the blades and the blade guides to wear. Furthermore, friction causes heat to build up in the blade guides. Eventually, the blades become too dull to properly cut the bread loaves; and the blade guides tend to damage the blades and to break, or to seize the blades or to otherwise jam the bread slicing machine such as by collecting bread crumbs or the like.
To reduce the amount of wear, present blade guides have been provided with hard chrome wear surfaces. Some blade guides have been provided with carbide inserts for wear surfaces. Nevertheless, present blade guides typically have a useful life of approximately two years only. Furthermore, present blade guides are of multi-piece construction, silver-soldered together, which results in significant fabrication costs.